


In Another Time

by JustSomeoneUnordinary



Series: WinterIron Week 2020 [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Time Travel, only one-sided enemies tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28060179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeoneUnordinary/pseuds/JustSomeoneUnordinary
Summary: It’s the jokes and the smiles and the intelligence behind those bright blue eyes. It’s the way Bucky drawls when he talks. It’s their night walks in the dark under the stars and how the air between them seems to spark. And before Tony knows it, he catches himself staring at those cherry red lips, imagining pulling Bucky behind the trees to steal a kiss.Though as lovely the thought is, as heavy crushes reality upon him and reminds him where and who they are. This is neither place nor time Tony belongs to—he belongs to Rhodey and Pepper and Happy. To F.R.I.D.A.Y. and his bots. To thefuture.Or: How a chain of certain accidental events lead to certain unexpected feelings with an uncertain future ahead of them.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: WinterIron Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055480
Comments: 6
Kudos: 81
Collections: WinterIron Week





	In Another Time

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 of WinterIron Week: Pre-WS Bucky & Mutual Pining
> 
> You can read my own version in German [here](https://www.fanfiktion.de/s/5fd74af6000103bc2025c412/1/Zu-einer-anderen-Zeit).

[ ](https://ibb.co/ZSdq89L)

The brown broth—supposedly a _stew_ —is mocking him, Tony is certain of that. So is Bucky’s delightful laugh right next to him at something Steve is saying, but that’s a whole nother issue Tony refuses to go into now. No, it’s the stew Tony feels more offended by right at this moment.

If Tony had known before that military food tasted this utterly disgusting, he would’ve sent a private cook with Rhodey on his missions. Which Tony isn’t sure if that would be allowed, but he’s got the money to make it work.

Then again, in the present they have those MRE packs Tony can only hope taste better than this mud on his plate. Which leads to issue number two: the present and the past. Because the latter is where Tony’s at. In the 1940s in goddamn World War II to be precise.

Six weeks and four days ago had Tony been lying on a cold concrete floor of a HYDRA bunker in Siberia, his suit damaged and his willpower shattered, Steve’s stupid shield lying right next to him. It hadn’t taken long for Strange to appear through one of his portals and offer his help which Tony accepted more or less reluctantly.

That turned out to be a mistake. A little bit of green light aimed directly at him was more than enough to catapult him straight into a warzone in front of Captain fucking America’s convoy.

See, this is why Tony hates magic.

The hardest part, however, wasn’t processing the sudden time travel—it was fighting the urge to grab a gun and shoot Steve and Bucky straight in the face after confronting them again.

Tony had seen enough movies though, to know not to mess with time. But it was difficult. Difficult to not just put his hands around Bucky’s throat and squeeze the same way the Winter Soldier had with his mother. Difficult to smile and introduce himself as “Edward Rhodes” who “didn’t look where he was walking and then got hit by a convoy”. Difficult to fight side by side with them as if Siberia never happened.

Difficult until three weeks and six days ago when Bucky gave him for the first time one of his brilliant smiles that made his blue eyes shine in a new light and Tony had known in that exact moment that he was truly fucked.

Because Bucky Barnes killed—or _will_ kill his mother.

But if Tony thought not taking revenge on Bucky would be difficult, then not falling in love with him was downright impossible. Or: issue number three.

It’s the jokes and the smiles and the intelligence behind those bright blue eyes. It’s the way Bucky drawls when he talks. It’s their night walks in the dark under the stars and how the air between them seems to spark. And before Tony knows it, he catches himself staring at those cherry red lips, imagining pulling Bucky behind the trees to steal a kiss.

Though as lovely the thought is, as heavy crushes reality upon him and reminds him where and who they are. This is neither the place nor the time Tony belongs to—he belongs to Rhodey and Pepper and Happy. To F.R.I.D.A.Y. and his bots. To the _future_.

And Bucky has his own future where Tony has no place in, although it’s by far not a nice one. So he keeps his thoughts and hands to himself and settles for dreams only.

Now after all those stolen glances and _what ifs_ and _almost_ he sits here with the Commandos, poking listlessly at his stew while he lets the sound of Bucky’s laugh that makes his heart sing in desire still linger.

Because all of this has an expiration date.

In exactly four weeks and two days a bright green light will wake Tony from his sleep and pull him with an unexpected force right back into HYDRA’s cold Siberian bunker as if nothing happened, Strange hovering over him and wearing a sheepish expression Tony didn’t know he was capable of.

Strange will apologize for using the wrong spell and explain that the Time Stone used Steve’s shield as anchor, which is why he ended up at the warfront in the 40s—the shield’s origin.

Weeks will go by of Tony focusing on Rhodey’s recovery and trying to process what had happened while he was in the past. And then another few months until he finally decides to call Steve with that mocking outdated phone and meets him to talk their issues out.

Finding out that Steve thought the entire time Maria must’ve cheated on Howard with “Edward Rhodes” to explain the alikeness between Tony and Edward will leave Tony speechless for the very first time since High School.

Finding out that he was also sure Tony and Bucky had a thing together, even more so.

It will only take a few days for Tony to pack his things and fly to Wakanda to see Bucky again. Bucky, who will have gotten rid of the trigger words by then. Bucky, who will be herding peacefully some goats at a farm. Bucky, who will be _his_ Bucky again, and yet not quite the same.

And they will walk under the stars and talk and Tony will find out that Bucky had recognized him but hadn’t been sure if his mind just played him a prank, and that Bucky had been having the same feelings for Tony too since the moment they met each other, but had been too afraid back then to ask if he was interested in men.

And then, _finally_ , they will get that kiss behind the trees.

But that is only in the future of Tony’s present and right now he is in the past, exchanging his mud on a plate with Bucky’s rubberlike meat, feeling betrayed by his own heart that threatens to jump out of his chest when their fingers brush during that exchange, yet finding himself smiling right back at Bucky whose entire face lights up in amusement.

And while Tony trusts Strange to find a way to bring Tony back, _hopes_ so desperately, he can’t help but think that a future with a smile like that aimed at him is not a bad one either.

And that maybe they could’ve been more if they just had met in another time.

**Author's Note:**

> You can reblog this on tumblr [here](https://justsomeoneunordinary.tumblr.com/post/637476556757942272/in-another-time).


End file.
